ANN AIKEN, Chief District Judge.
Defendants Wells Fargo Bank N.A. ("WFB") and Fidelity National Insurance Company ("Fidelity") move to dismiss
On August 18, 2008, plaintiffs took out a loan, in the amount of $161,905, from WFB in order to purchase a residential property in Salem, Oregon ("Property"). Pursuant to this transaction, plaintiffs executed a promissory note ("Note") in favor of WFB. The Note was secured by a deed of trust ("DOT"), which lists WFB as the lender and beneficiary. The DOT was duly recorded in Marion County, Oregon.
Pursuant to the DOT, plaintiffs agreed to make monthly mortgage payments as required under the Note. Plaintiffs also agreed that they would be in default, and subject to foreclosure, if they failed to make such payments. At some point after the loan was originated,
On December 1, 2010, plaintiffs stopped making the requisite mortgage repayments, thereby materially defaulting. On June 14, 2011, WFB appointed Fidelity as successor trustee. On August 26, 2011, Fidelity executed a Notice of Default and Election to Sell ("NODES") the Property. That same day, Fidelity prepared a Trustee's Notice of Sale, which scheduled the foreclosure sale for January 13, 2012. These documents were duly recorded in the official records of Marion County.
On January 11, 2012, plaintiffs filed a complaint in the Marion County Circuit Court; on February 10, 2012, defendants removed plaintiffs' case to this Court. On April 4, 2012, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint, alleging claims for: (1) improper accounting; (2) breach of contract; and (3) violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act ("FDCPA"). Thereafter, the parties agreed to stay the foreclosure sale in light of the fact that plaintiffs received approval for a temporary forbearance while being evaluated for a loan modification; as such, a foreclosure sale has not yet occurred. Plaintiffs, however, failed to make the first repayment due under the temporary forbearance agreement, causing that agreement to be cancelled and this litigation to resume. Accordingly, defendants renewed their motion to dismiss; plaintiffs did not file an opposition to defendants' motion.
Where the plaintiff "fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted," the court must dismiss the action. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). To survive a motion to dismiss, the complaint must allege "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face."
As an initial matter, defendants argue that plaintiffs' equitable claims should be dismissed because plaintiffs are unable to cure the default. Defendants also contend that plaintiffs' claims fail both at the pleadings level and as a matter of law.
This Court finds the latter dispositive and therefore declines to address defendants' preliminary argument. Nonetheless, the Court agrees that, to the extent they are based in equity, plaintiffs' claims are precluded by their failure to allege an ability to cure the default.
In their first claim, plaintiffs seek a declaration that the NODES and Trustee's Notice of Sale are invalid because they misstate the amount due under the Note. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 6.2-6.6. Specifically, plaintiffs argue that defendants' actions are wrongful because WFB "added in various fees and costs for their work to perform a loan modification from the initial loan amount .. . amounting to more than $15,359.31 [in charges]."
Plaintiffs' claim is dismissed because it is conclusory and devoid of factual support. Plaintiffs do not identify a single payment or any alleged error in the amounts set forth in the NODES or Trustee's Notice of Sale; further, they do not enumerate the allegedly proper amount due under the loan. In other words, plaintiffs did not include sufficient allegations of underlying facts in support of their conclusion that the NODES and Trustee's Notice of Sale are unenforceable. This District has consistently dismissed improper accounting claims where, as here, plaintiffs fail to identify any inaccuracies in the NODES or Trustee's Notice of Sale.
Plaintiffs next allege that defendants breached the parties oral and written agreement for a loan modification. Plaintiffs assert five different theories of liability under this claim: (1) promissory estoppel and unjust enrichment
Plaintiffs contend that WFB "promised both orally and in writing that [they] received final approval for [a] loan modification," which they relied on to their detriment. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 7.2-7.7. In addition, plaintiffs assert that defendants were unjustly enriched because plaintiffs did not understand the terms and cost of the parties' loan agreements.
In order to state a claim for promissory estoppel, plaintiff must first allege that a promise was made.
Plaintiffs' promissory estoppel claim is dismissed for two reasons. First, plaintiffs do not denote any clear and well-defined promise that could reasonably be considered an offer or otherwise support the creation of a contract. Notably, plaintiffs fail to identify the speaker, date, or context of the alleged oral promises. Further, plaintiffs do not attach the alleged written promises to their complaint or otherwise describe their contents. Without such information, however, plaintiffs are unable to state a claim for promissory estoppel.
Second, while not determinative, plaintiffs' claim fails even assuming the existence of a promise. It is undisputed that, because plaintiffs were unable to make the requisite loan repayments, they applied for and WFB ultimately provided a loan modification, and stayed both the pending foreclosure and this lawsuit. Because plaintiffs failed to even make the revised payments due under the parties' temporary forbearance agreement, the loan modification was cancelled. Under these circumstances, plaintiffs cannot state a claim for promissory estoppel.
To state a claim for unjust enrichment, plaintiff must allege that: "(1) plaintiff conferred a benefit on defendant; (2) defendant was aware that it had received a benefit; and (3) under the circumstances it would be unjust for defendant to retain the benefit without paying for it."
Here, plaintiffs have not alleged, nor can they, that they conferred a benefit on defendants arising out of the requested loan modification; in addition, plaintiffs do not explain how defendants' alleged enrichment was unjust. Rather, the only payments received from WFB were those that plaintiffs contractually agreed to pay. Moreover, "confusion over the terms of [the] loan agreements do not make a theory for recovery under a theory of unjust enrichment."
Plaintiffs contend that WFB "owed a fiduciary duty to Plaintiffs and breached that duty by failing to advise or notify Plaintiff when Defendant knew or should have known that Plaintiff would have a likelihood of defaulting on the loan." Am. Compl. ¶ 7.9.
In addition to failing at the pleading level, plaintiffs' claim fails as a matter of law. It is well-settled under Oregon law that lenders do not have a fiduciary duty towards borrowers.
Plaintiffs assert that the Note and DOT are unconscionable because WFB failed "to provide a loan that Plaintiffs' could pay." Am. Compl. ¶¶ 7.15-7.17. As a result, plaintiffs contend that these instruments are void.
Plaintiffs' unconscionability claim similarly fails at the pleadings level and as a matter of law. Unconscionability is not a valid cause of action where the sale of real estate is involved.
Plaintiffs' claim for rescission alleges that WFB failed to provide the initial disclosures required by the Truth in Lending Act ("TILA").
TILA contains a one-year statute of limitations and a three year statute of repose.
Here, plaintiffs executed their loan documents on August 18, 2008. On January 11, 2012, more than three years after plaintiffs' loan closed, this lawsuit was commended. Therefore, plaintiffs' rescission claim is time-barred and defendants' motion is granted.
Plaintiffs contend that WFB breached its contractual duty of good faith and fair dealing by "willfully" withholding "numerous disclosures [and] notices," and by "[w]illfully plac[ing] Plaintiffs in a loan that they did not qualify for, could not afford, and subjected them to further financial detriment." Am. Compl. ¶¶ 7.25-7.30.
The covenant of good faith and fair dealing protects the objectively reasonable contractual expectations of the parties.
Here, plaintiffs' agreed, under the explicit terms of their loan contracts, that they would be subject to foreclosure if they failed to make the requisite monthly loan repayments. Defendants' enforcement of these terms upon plaintiffs' material default is therefore not actionable.
In their final claim, plaintiffs allege that defendants violated the FDCPA by seeking to collect a debt because: (1) the Notice of Default and Election to Sell is inaccurate; (2) WFB "steadfastly refused to accept Plaintiffs' loan modification paperwork for no legally justified reason;" and (3) defendants did not stop their efforts to collect the debt, despite plaintiffs' request that they cease such efforts. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 9.3-9.5.
Plaintiffs' third claim is dismissed for three reasons. First, plaintiffs fail to allege any facts to support their legal conclusions. Second, WFB is not a debt collector within the meaning of the FDCPA. The FDCPA defines "debt collector" as one "who regularly collects, or attempts to collect, directly or indirectly, debts owed or due or asserted to be owed or due another." 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Here, it is undisputed that WFB is both the party that originated plaintiffs' loan and the party that is seeking repayment of that loan. Accordingly, because WFB is not attempting to collect a debt owed to a third-party, the FDCPA does not apply.
Finally, plaintiffs do not allege that defendants engaged in any actions beyond those reasonably necessary to effectuate the foreclosure of the Property. Because the collection of a debt is ordinarily not the object of foreclosure, "any action taken in pursuit of actual foreclosure may not be challenged as a violation of the FDCPA."
Defendants' motions to dismiss (docs. 23, 26) are GRANTED. Accordingly, defendants' requests for oral argument are DENIED as unnecessary. This case is DISMISSED.
IT IS SO ORDERED.